1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with an improved patient-supporting bed that facilitates various diagnoses, and particularly echo cardiography scans, upon a person lying upon the bed. More particularly, it is concerned with such a diagnostic bed that includes a hingedly mounted, selectively disengageable, drop-out bed section strategically located for permitting easy sonographic diagnosis of a patient. In particularly preferred forms, an anti-pinching flexible cover is disposed over the juncture between the drop-out section and bed proper, and a second, laterally spaced and axially offset drop-out section is optionally provided that can be lowered to present an opening accommodating the legs of a person performing the diagnosis, thereby facilitating the sonographic examination.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Diagnosis of cardiac irregularities often involves a treadmill test, wherein a patient exercises on a treadmill in order to increase his or her heartbeat to an elevated rate where an abnormality may be detected. Experience has proved that treadmill (exercise EKG) testing alone will not give an accurate diagnosis for a relatively large number of patients, i.e., even though the heart rate is elevated, an extant problem will not be detected. This is particularly the case with women patients.
As a consequence, it has become a common practice to perform cardiac sonography (also known as an echo cardiography scan) on a patient immediately after a treadmill test is completed and while the patient's heart rate is still elevated. This combined diagnostic technique has proven to be very successful in correctly ascertaining the true condition of the patient's heart. However, in order to be optimum, it is very necessary that two conditions be met. First the cardiac sonography be completed in as short a period of time as possible after the treadmill test is concluded. Second, the patient should be examined while lying on the left side (left latteral). Otherwise, the sonography will yield less accurate or erroneous results. Every second is important because the heart fully recovers from the effects of exercise in about two minutes.
In general, cardiac sonography is accomplished by placing a person on a diagnostic bed, lying on his or her left side. A drop-out access door or section is provided in the bed adjacent the heart region, and can be lowered to provide an access opening allowing the sonographer to place the sonography probe(s) at the various positions required for the diagnosis. The drop-out door is essential because patients will not position themselves properly over a space or hole. Further, the drop-out door is equipped with a latch that is easily and quickly opened requiring only one hand to accomplish. At the conclusion of the sonographic examination, the drop-out section is raised back to its original position, in order to allow the patient to safely rise from the bed. If the patient attempts to arise while the drop-out door is lowered, a danger is presented because the patient's hand and arm may slip into the bed opening as the patient attempts to push himself upwardly from the surface of the bed.
Use of diagnostic beds of this type presents a number of problems. In the first place, many cardiac patients are morbidly obese, and it can be very difficult for the sonographer to properly position the sonography probe(s) beneath the patient adjacent the heart region. Many sonographers have been forced to stand, sit or straddle in unnatural, uncomfortable positions on or adjacent the diagnostic bed astride the patient, and attempt to reach across the patient's body to position the probe(s) for proper diagnosis. This can be very difficult with obese patients, particularly under the time constraint of performing the diagnosis in the short applicable time after a treadmill test.
Secondly, when the drop-out section is returned to its upper horizontal position at the conclusion of the sonographic examination, the patient may be pinched between the shiftable section and the bed proper. Here again, this problem is especially acute with obese patients.
There is accordingly a real and unsatisfied need for an improved diagnostic bed especially adapted to overcome the problems of prior beds of this character in the context of cardiac sonography examinations.